Guild Wars 2

So there was a bad match created tonight. A #7 server vs. #11 vs. #13. And the predictable happened.

• #7 dominated
• #11 and #13 got demoralized
• no one had fun

Sound familiar? Of course it does. Its what happens far too often in WvW.

Here’s how to fix it: It will take both Anets effort and the players effort.

First, we must acknolwedge that there is no way to fix population imbalance. We’ve had CDI’s about it. We’ve had multitudes of threads about it.

IT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
POPULATION WILL NEVER BE BALANCED.
MATCHES WILL NEVER BE BALANCED.
EVER.
NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE DOES.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way. We can work on how to actually make the matches fun given the fact that there will always be imbalance.

A case study: #7 vs. #11 vs. #13.

What happened: #7 dominated.

• #7 took the keeps of BOTH opponents BLs. All the keeps.
• It was not for the lack of players on #11 and #13. There were players on for these two servers. They were scattered about. Some on Home BL (getting thrashed). Some on the weaker servers BL. A small amount on #7’s BL.

What should have happened: As soon as #11 and #13 saw they were paired up against #7 they should have immediately all queued #7’s BL.

This would have resulted in:

1. Even fights all around
2. Fun all around
3. Yes each of #11 and #13 BL would have been taken. BUT THAT HAPPENED ANYWAY.

What Anet can do:

• It is clear that we players cannot think strategically and take actions that will resolve the imbalance by ourselves.
• Therefore Anet needs to take some action.
• Anet you cannot balance matches. You cannot balance servers. You cannot balance populations. BUT YOU CAN CREATE RULES THAT MITIGATE THE IMBALANCE.
• Create rules/scoring/incentives for the two weaker servers to attack the stronger server.
• Make it worthwhile for the #11 and #13 to queue #7’s BL.

Conclusion: Stop worrying about server mergers, map caps, alliances. None of it is going to work. Just create an environment where people are incentivized to create fun and as much balance as possible in the midst of inherent imbalance.

The war is full of pain. I think the same match throughout 7 days 4 weeks is too long and monotonous, which causes the boredom and imbalance.

Anet should split the battlefield for Hardcore and Normal players, which the rewards vary according to the different players (Hardcore or Normal + their WvW ranks). It like a PvP chest, you have to fight to unlock your chests. If you fight more and more, you can get better rewards.

Everyone knew that the victory and defeat are nothing different. There’s no good prize for the loser, so what we fight for? What reward will we get if we are the losers? It’s just a worthless chest for the entire week. You fight for a chest, everyone is fighting for a chest.

Johje Holan.4607:

So there was a bad match created tonight. A #7 server vs. #11 vs. #13. And the predictable happened.

• #7 dominated
• #11 and #13 got demoralized
• no one had fun

Sound familiar? Of course it does. Its what happens far too often in WvW.

Here’s how to fix it: It will take both Anets effort and the players effort.

First, we must acknolwedge that there is no way to fix population imbalance. We’ve had CDI’s about it. We’ve had multitudes of threads about it.

IT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
POPULATION WILL NEVER BE BALANCED.
MATCHES WILL NEVER BE BALANCED.
EVER.
NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE DOES.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way. We can work on how to actually make the matches fun given the fact that there will always be imbalance.

A case study: #7 vs. #11 vs. #13.

What happened: #7 dominated.

• #7 took the keeps of BOTH opponents BLs. All the keeps.
• It was not for the lack of players on #11 and #13. There were players on for these two servers. They were scattered about. Some on Home BL (getting thrashed). Some on the weaker servers BL. A small amount on #7’s BL.

What should have happened: As soon as #11 and #13 saw they were paired up against #7 they should have immediately all queued #7’s BL.

This would have resulted in:

1. Even fights all around
2. Fun all around
3. Yes each of #11 and #13 BL would have been taken. BUT THAT HAPPENED ANYWAY.

What Anet can do:

• It is clear that we players cannot think strategically and take actions that will resolve the imbalance by ourselves.
• Therefore Anet needs to take some action.
• Anet you cannot balance matches. You cannot balance servers. You cannot balance populations. BUT YOU CAN CREATE RULES THAT MITIGATE THE IMBALANCE.
• Create rules/scoring/incentives for the two weaker servers to attack the stronger server.
• Make it worthwhile for the #11 and #13 to queue #7’s BL.

Conclusion: Stop worrying about server mergers, map caps, alliances. None of it is going to work. Just create an environment where people are incentivized to create fun and as much balance as possible in the midst of inherent imbalance.

They could also make it far easier for #11 and #13 to form an alliance. As it i now, no alliances are ever formed because there is no way you can be sure both server won’t stab the other server. Remove that fear and matches can become a lot more balanced.

Maybe when the score of #7 is higher than #11 and #13 combined the game forces an alliance mode on #11 and #13. The alliance mode would make it impossible for #11 and #13 to attack each others. Maybe there could also be an alliance chat to communicate. Those are merely ideas but the point is something can be done that isn’t so complicated.

The problem, at least for me, isn’t loosing. What is hard to live with is the feeling of being powerless. Alliances can make us feel a lot less powerless and alone.

Just saying, lol’d pretty hard when I saw 7v11v13, 8v10v12, and 9v14v15 for match-ups. Either RNG was expanded to allow more match-ups (because the chances for these was pretty low) or somebody really kittened up the match-ups using manual selections.

If the latter is true, there have been SO many better times to use manual selections for match-ups that it’s simply sad and pathetic that the only recent time it’s been used was managed so absolutely poor.

Truly, a feat to be admired for its stupidity.

It shouldn’t have even been 7v11v13. It should have been 7v8v9.

7v8v9, meanwhile 1v2v4 and 3v5v6 please. Why can’t nearly impossible RNG matchups work in T1’s favor for once. YB for T1.

All I know is it was raining bags last night. It’s been awhile since I found such easy 1v3 fights. PPT is going to suffer this week because 7 has such better coverage but there will be plenty of fights.

I have the feeling that Anet will eventually implement the alliance/megazerger crap to “fix” WvW. Everything they have been doing since EotM came out seems to be prepping us for that. I’m just going to try and have as much fun as I can before they ruin the game completely.

On a side note it would be great if some of those adopt a devs could pop into the game this week. There have been several people flying, teleporting around, 1 shotting people without anything showing up in the damage log. It would be nice to see some action taken against them.

Need to have shorter “Wars” (Matches)…and mix them up (combine weaker servers as team mates during a match against a stronger server).

Jim Hunter.6821:

I have the feeling that Anet will eventually implement the alliance/megazerger crap to “fix” WvW. Everything they have been doing since EotM came out seems to be prepping us for that. I’m just going to try and have as much fun as I can before they ruin the game completely.

Why does making alliances = crap?

Basch.1347:

7v8v9, meanwhile 1v2v4 and 3v5v6 please. Why can’t nearly impossible RNG matchups work in T1’s favor for once. YB for T1.

Wasn’t possible according to snow reap’s matchup probabilities he posts every Thursday – 6 dropping was possible, but pretty unlikely (1 % ish if I recall)